April 27, 2012

About 9,000 U.S. Marines stationed on the
Japanese island of Okinawa will be moved to the U.S. territory of Guam
and other locations in the Asia-Pacific, including Hawaii, under a
U.S.-Japan agreement announced Thursday.
The move is part of a broader arrangement designed to tamp down tensions
in the U.S.-Japan defense alliance stemming in part from opposition in
Okinawa to what many view as a burdensome U.S. military presence.

It also reflects a desire by the Obama administration to spread U.S.
forces more widely in the Asia-Pacific region as part of a rebalancing
of U.S. defense priorities in the aftermath of a decade of war in the
greater Middle East.
The agreement was outlined in a joint statement issued Thursday night by
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta and their Japanese counterparts.
Citing an "increasingly uncertain security environment" in the
Asia-Pacific region, they said their agreement was intended to maintain a
robust U.S. military presence to ensure the defense of Japan.
"Japan is not just a close ally, but also a close friend," Panetta said
in a separate comment. "And I look forward to deepening that friendship
and strengthening our partnership as, together, we address security
challenges in the region."
The joint statement made no mention of a timetable for moving the
approximately 9,000 Marines off of Okinawa. It said it would happen
"when appropriate facilities are available to receive them" on Guam and
elsewhere.
Under the new agreement, about 10,000 Marines will remain on Okinawa,
which has been a key element of the U.S. military presence in Asia for
decades. The U.S. also has a substantial Air Force presence on Okinawa.

April 17, 2012

USS Zumwalt photos

BATH, Maine – An enormous, expensive
and technology-laden warship that some Navy leaders once tried to kill
because of its cost is now viewed as an important part of the Obama
administration's Asia-Pacific strategy, with advanced capabilities that
the Navy's top officer says represent the Navy's future.
The stealthy, guided-missile Zumwalt that's taking shape at Bath Iron
Works is the biggest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy.
The low-to-the-water warship will feature a wave-piercing hull,
composite deckhouse, electric drive propulsion, advanced sonar,
missiles, and powerful guns that fire rocket-propelled warheads as far
as 100 miles. It's also longer and heavier than existing destroyers --
but will have half the crew because of automated systems.

April 1, 2012

J-10 fighters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force have
conducted ground attack training over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the
first operation of its kind for the air force of the Chengdu Military
Region.

According to a report and photos released by the PLA
Daily yesterday, the ground crew of the J-10 regiment fueled the
fighters and loaded ammunition on the 3,500-meter-high plateau at
temperatures below -20 C.

The fighters scrambled and attacked
the targets with conventional bombs and laser-guided bombs. Sorties were
made both during the day and at night.

Yesterday's reports were the second time that State media released photos of the J-10 fighter using laser-guided bombs.

In
a joint massive live fire drill in October that incorporated air forces
and air defense units as well as armor and artillery units, also held
in Tibet Autonomous Region the J-10 also showed off its precise ground
attack ability, the Ministry of Defense said on its website.

"The
J-10 fighter was initially designed as an air superiority fighter,
focusing on air combat and interception capability. But with modern
sensors, avionics and land attack munitions, it can also perform well in
ground attack roles," Bai Wei, former deputy chief editor of Aviation
World Monthly and writer for the UK-based Air Forces Monthly, told the
Global Times.

The J-10's activities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have been relatively frequent in the past months.

"Operations
on the plateau are a routine for the air force. The main obstacles for
plateau operation are thin air, complicated weather conditions faced by
ground crews and low oxygen density, which makes igniting the engines
much harder," Bai noted.

On January 31, J-10 fighters made their
first flight during the Chinese Lunar New Year on the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau with a typical air combat patrol payload, namely two mid-range
air-to-air missiles, two short-range air-to-air missiles, and three
external fuel tanks.